Penelope Hosk and the Return of Gaunt
by dorytoes
Summary: Ever since the beginning of her existence, Penelope Hosk knew she wasn't normal. All makes sense when she finds out that she's a witch. What bumps in her journey will Penelope run into in her training as a witch at Ilvermorny School of Magic? I don't know, maybe the descendant of an evil witch that has been causing trouble since the beginning of Ilvermorny?
1. The Best Birthday Present

In the town of Weston, Massachusetts lay a house. And in that house, was a girl named Penelope Hosk, whom may I add, had just turned eleven. Penelope didn't know yet but in a few hours, her life would change greatly. Which is where our story begins.

It was a quiet but peaceful morning in the luxurious neighborhood of Weston. Like usual, the mailman went from house to house bringing each and every one of them letters and packages, unknowing that one particular letter will revolutionize the life of an eleven year old girl.

Penelope Hosk woke up on this Saturday morning with a bright smile on her face. Today was no ordinary day, no. It was her eleventh birthday. The lights shining through the windows blinded Penelope but it didn't bother her. Not today at least. She felt like nothing in this world could stop her. Well, nothing except her adoptive parents. There was nothing wrong with them of course. They were truly amazing people with hearts so kind they took in a child that wasn't even biologically related to them. It was just the fact that Penelope didn't feel as if she could relate to them or that they couldn't really understand her. She didn't think she could relate to anyone, which was partially the reason for why she never really had any friends. That and the fact that all the kids in her neighborhood were snobby rich kids who hid behind the shadows of their successful parents. Trying not to think of anything negative, Penelope raced down to the kitchen where she could smell the aroma of freshly sizzled bacon and pancakes.

"Hey, birthday girl! Are you ready for some breakfast?" Daniel Morgan, Penelope's adoptive father, asked. Penelope smiled and nodded as Daniel scooped some of the bacon onto her plate. "The pancakes will be ready soon but in the meantime, could you quickly get the mail? I know it's your birthday and all, but it would be really great if you could get it for me now. There's a letter I've been hoping to receive," He requested.

"Yeah, of course," Penelope replied hurrying to the door. She opened the door to reveal a bright and warm August morning and swiped the mail from the box. She examined all the letters carefully to see that one of them was addressed to her. Penelope furrowed her eyebrows in contemplation as she read what was on the red wax seal. Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? Penelope didn't believe she heard of a school by this name and furthermore, there was no such thing as witchcraft and wizardry. _I'd better show Daniel and Emma_ , Penelope thought as she walked back into the kitchen.

"Here you go," Penelope said, tossing the letters over the table.

"Oh hey, it looks like you got a letter too," Daniel said while quickly looking through all the letters. A look of confusion came across his face as he read what was on the wax seal. "Witchcraft and wizardry? What is this nonsense?" Daniel passed the envelope back to Penelope. She quickly opened the envelope in curiosity and read what was on the three letters.

ILVERMORNY SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Agilbert Fontaine

Dear Ms. Hosk,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 8 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 August.

Yours sincerely,

Tabitha Tenebrith

Deputy Headmistress

The second letter was a page of requirements and of what to bring.

ILVERMORNY SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

UNIFORM

First-year students will require:

1\. FIVE sets of blue and cranberry class robes with a gold Gordian knot

2\. ONE pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

3\. ONE black winter cloak with silver fastenings

COURSE BOOKS

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

Chadwick's Charms Vol. I

by Chadwick Boot

History of Western Magic

by Natalia Honeywell

The Complete History of Ilvermorny

by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration

by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi

by Phyllida Spore

The Beginner's Book of Potions

by Diggle Allen

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

by Newt Scamander

Self-Protection From the Dark Forces

by Amelia Fudge

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set brass scales

Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad.

Students and guardians are reminded that students will receive wands at the school and MAY NOT, under any circumstances, bring their wands outside of school property as it is a felony unless you are the legal age of seventeen.

PARENTS ARE ALSO REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK

Yours sincerely,

Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus

Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions

Lastly, the third letter was noted to specifically wizards or witches with no-maj parents or guardians.

ILVERMORNY SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Logan,

The staff at Ilvermorny understand that you both must be having a very hard time comprehending what is happening. Your child indeed has magical components built in his/her blood. We ask you to please remember that your child will be in good hands with us and not to fret when receiving this letter. If you allow your son or daughter to enroll at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, we will be ecstatic to work with your witch or wizard in training. You may send your enrollment letter to us by owl, which will be provided for you as soon as you decide to enroll. Also, we will send one of our Pukwudgies to assist you and your child on your trip to Nauxneth for your materials on September 7th. If you decide not to enroll your child at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, we urge you to reconsider and know that this is one of the best wizarding schools in all of the world. Thank you for your time and we hope to see you at the peak of Mount Greylock in Western Massachusetts on September 8.

Yours Sincerely,

Agilbert Fontaine

"Can I go, Daniel? Please?" Penelope begged with all her heart. This could be her chance to escape everything here and start a new life with people who are just like her.

"I'm sorry P, but this seems pretty shady to me. Emma agrees as well."

"Sorry, baby but as far as I'm concerned, there are no such things as fantastic beasts or dragon hide," Emma responded. Penelope frowned. How did she just know they were going to say that? This was why not having your biological parents suck. Her real parents would've let her go to Ilvermorny, right? Her real parents probably would've been better parents than Daniel and Emma!

Penelope stormed up to her room and jumped face-first onto her bed. _How could they do this to me?_ Penelope thought. _Can't they just do something to make me happy for once? That was probably the best birthday present I had ever gotten and now they just take it away from me? Sometimes I wonder if they can even qualify as parents._

Days had passed and there was some tension between Penelope and her adoptive parents. She swore to herself to stay anti-social to grieve over the fact that the opportunity to start anew was snatched out of her hands. The only time Penelope would talk to Daniel and Emma was when it was absolutely necessary. This was driving Mr. and Mrs. Logan crazy. There was always a little tension between them and Penelope but now this was getting out of hand. They had to do something and something fast because the strain was unbearable.

...

"P, Emma and I have decided that we will take a family trip to Mount Greylock on September 8th. We have already given your enrollment letter to this owl and if we really can find Ilvermorny, you may go but if not, you have to start regular school. Understand?" Daniel said. A smile crept onto Penelope's face as she heard these words. She might actually be getting the best birthday present now.

"Thank you so much! Thank you Dad! Thank you Mom!" Penelope was filled with so much excitement she couldn't bear it anymore and she hugged them. Daniel and Emma looked at each other like they had won the lottery. In all the five years of raising Penelope, not once has she referred to them as 'Mom' and 'Dad'. As those words slipped out of her mouth, they knew this decision would be worth it.

 **That is it for chapter one everyone! I know it was short but please bear with me. As the story progresses, chapters will become longer. I hoped you liked this chapter and if you did, please give it a favorite! And if you want more, follow it! Thanks so much for reading!**


	2. Nauxneth

**Chapter Two: Nauxneth**

Today was the day. Today is the day a pukwudgie, whatever that was, would bring Penelope and her family to the wizarding town of Nauxneth. Penelope was booming with excitement! She still couldn't get over the fact that she was a witch!

"When is it coming, Dad? I can't possibly wait any longer!" Penelope whined. The creature was supposed to come at 12 but it was already 12 and Penelope wasn't in the mood to be patient.

"Be patient, Penelope. In time, the pukwudgie will come," Daniel replied, his eyes glued to the newspaper. It was pretty obvious telling by his facial expression that what he reading wasn't good. Emma entered the dining room, her voluminous blonde curls bouncing up and down and her heels clacking along the dark wooden floors. She gave Daniel a quick kiss and glanced at the newspaper headline.

"Oh yeah, I saw that on the news last night. Terrible, isn't it? The world is such a dangerous place nowadays," Emma said while walking to the counter for a granola bar.

"What happened?" Penelope asked wanting to keep her mind off the late pukwudgie. She did anything to stop her anxiousness from playing around with her neatly brushed butterscotch blonde hair to biting her lower lip.

Finally, after moments of silence, a three foot figure entered the dining room. It was a peculiar looking creature, really. He looked human but had gray skin along with larger ears, fingers, and nose. Penelope could also tell by her parents' countenance that they were shocked to see how odd this scary creature looked. But that only gave her more reason to start a friendly conversation.

"Hi, you must be the pukwudgie the letter was talking about. I'm-" Penelope started but was cut off by the creature.

"Penelope Hosk. I know. Now if you would like to get to Nauxneth, follow me," the pukwudgie said sounding bored out of his mind.

Emma flashed him a warm smile. "Oh thank you, uh-"

"William. Pukwudgies aren't supposed to give out their real names so you can call me William. That's what everyone calls me anyway," William said with a content look on his face.

The family of three followed the three foot creature into their backyard. William pulled out a silver skeleton key and started explaining what it was. "Now this is a portkey. It may look like a normal key but it's magic. Portkeys are used to magically transport somewhere. This key will get us specifically to Gringotts of America."

William walked to their backdoor and inserted the key. "Wait! How do you know it'll fit?" Daniel asked.

"Because it's magic." William smiled and twisted the key causing a click on the lock.

When he reopened the door, inside wasn't the Logans' kitchen but the interior of a bank! Daniel, Emma, and Penelope looked through the door in astonishment. This excited Penelope even more! _What else will be in store for me?_ Penelope thought. Inside the bank were around 50 wizards all lining up! People were rushing everywhere, probably for school shopping since it started tomorrow.

"Again, this is Gringotts of America. This is where you can convert No-Maj money into Dragots. There are three types of Dragot coins; there's the one Dragot, half a Dragot, and quarter of a Dragot. Then there's a Sprink; 332 Sprinks are equivalent to one Dragot. Got that? Good, now let's go to a goblin and do the exchange."

William walked them up to a goblin whose name tag read Kurrgot. The goblin was a short creature with an abnormally large head. Almost as large as hers, Penelope noticed. Kurrgot's eyes were black as night and his hair was white as snow. He looked very angry, in fact, all the goblins looked stern but Penelope thought nothing of it. After upon receiving her Dragots, she realized they were all circular coins except for the one Dragot. That coin was in the shape of an octagon. On each coin was a mirrored reflection of a slim dragon with a number in-between whether it be 1, 1/2, or 1/4. Also on the Dragots were the written form of its worth and the words "United States of America".

As they left Gringotts of America, Penelope felt something she had never felt before; familiarity. Everything felt so familiar. Being with hundreds of other people finally felt good. They were all like her and she was one of them. This never used to happen before.

"What's next, William?" Emma asked as they walked past many small shops and businesses. Penelope noticed how different everything looked compared to a city like Boston. Nauxneth definitely wasn't as modern but she liked it. It was old-fashioned but homey.

"I guess we should go to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. It's just at this corner," William answered.

When they got to Madam Malkin's, Penelope immediately noticed how purple this store was. There were splashes of purple from the elegant drapes to the fuzzy carpets. Too absorbed in curiosity, Penelope wandered around the shop forgetting about her parents and William. When it finally hit her that she was lost, it was too late. They were nowhere in sight. _I'll just ask that girl over there_ , she thought.

She approached the brunette and asked, "Excuse me but-"

The brunette rolled her eyes and looking very annoyed, answered, "Yes, I _am_ Sofia Calderon-Boot. People need to stop asking me!"

Penelope furrowed her brows, clearly offended and snapped back, "Because your name has _so_ much worth. No, actually I was going to ask if you could help me find my parents but if you're too busy being an arrogant prick that's fine by me." And flipping her beautiful butterscotch blonde hair, she walked away from that girl.

"Wait! I can help you!" Sofia cried running after Penelope, "I'm sorry. I just thought you were-. You know what? Nevermind. Can we start over? What's your name?"

Penelope smiled. Her parents have always regarded her soft heart and ability to give in so easily. "Of course we can. My name's Penelope Hosk." Sofia smiled back at her and they went searching for Penelope's parents.

"Is that your mother?" Sofia asked, pointing to Emma who was looking very anxious.

"Yes! Thanks so much!" she took Sofia's hand and ran over to her mom.

"Nel! Oh my god we found you! Dan, she's over here!" Emma gave Penelope a bear hug and added smiling, "Who's your friend?"

"This is Sofia. She helped me find you," Penelope replied.

"Sofia, thanks for helping out my Nel, she is horrible for finding things." Emma chuckled.

"No problem. It wasn't hard considering Penelope looked so much like you. You truly are mother and daughter," Sofia said genuinely.

"Well, I'm actually adopted but I guess I do look a lot like her, huh," Penelope confessed with a smile.

William came back with a large bag. "Here you go, Miss Hosk," he said, handing her the bag.

"Why thank you, William!" she replied.

"You have your own personal pukwudgie? That's so cool!" Sofia exclaimed.

Penelope's cheeks flushed in embarrassment and she answered shyly, "We don't own William. He's here with us because my parents aren't wizards."

"Oh that's nothing to be embarrassed about. There are tons of witches that come from No-Maj families," Sofia answered but added, "You must be a first year then, right?"

"Yeah," Penelope answered embarrassed yet again thinking Sofia might be older. She certainly looked around Penelope's age though.

"Me too. We can stick together this year then." Sofia smiled.

Soon it was time to leave Madam Malkin's and go to Flourish and Blotts for schoolbooks. Fortunately, Sofia and her parents were headed that way so they all walked together. When they entered Flourish and Blotts, Sofia noticed a crowd forming around them. It took a couple of minutes to realize the crowd wasn't forming around her but around the Calderon-Boots.

She pushed forward to Sofia and whispered, "Why is everyone crowding around your parents?"

Sofia looked uncomfortable with answering but waited until the commotion died down to escape everyone. She took Penelope to a secluded area to begin answering, "It's something I hate so much but my family is related to the founders of our school, Ilvermorny. And since we are, my relatives like to find jobs in MACUSA or something important like that so people treat us like we're celebrities or something stupid like that. I dislike it so much and if I could change it, I would."

"First of all, that's literally the coolest thing ever and second, what's MACUSA?" Penelope asked. She truly did think Sofia's life was cool; people adoring her family so much, they cause crowds.

"The Magical Congress of the United States of America. Pretty much the same government we have in the States but with wizards in charge," an unfamiliar voice answered. It came from a girl.

"Sorry I didn't mean to intrude like that. I was just getting away from the crowd and overheard your conversation. I'm Aubrey, by the way," Aubrey said.

"It's fine. I'm Penelope and this is Sofia. Are you a first year too?" Penelope thought she seemed lonely and wanted to try to make friendly conversation. After all, she could never pass up the opportunity to make a friend.

"Yeah but I'm hoping to take advanced classes since my parents have taught me some magic already."

Sofia looked confused. "I thought we weren't allowed to learn magic until we went to school? Underage magic is illegal," she said whispering the last part.

"Lots of wizard parents teach their kids magic before they go to school," Aubrey shrugged and left the two girls.

"Something seems off about her. I think I know her from somewhere but I don't know where," Sofia said softly to Penelope.

The two girls walked back over to their parents to see them talking to Aubrey and her parents. "That's where I remember Aubrey from! She's from the Wang family! They're a powerful pureblood family. Purebloods are wizards or witches with an all magic lineage," Sofia stated.

From the looks of it, Penelope could tell Aubrey's parents were powerful and above all, wealthy. Her mother wore a lot of jewelry and her father had a fancy robe on. When the Wangs left, Penelope and Sofia swooped back in.

 **...**

After a good hour of shopping, the Logans and Calderon-Boots decided to go to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor as a celebration for starting school the next day. Penelope had never seen any crazier ice cream flavors in her life. The flavors ranged from butterbeer to vampire's blood!

"I know, the amount of flavors are overwhelming, right?" the lady behind the counter said, "Just a suggestion, butterbeer is my favorite along with pretty much everyone else in the wizarding world."

"Is there alcohol in it?" Penelope asked concerned as to why the lady was offering a clearly underage child beer flavored ice cream.

"Oh god, no. You must be a No-Maj born aren't you?" Penelope nodded to which the lady added, "Here, try it. It's on the house."

The lady handed her a scoop of beige ice cream on a sugar cone. This butterbeer ice cream might have been the best ice cream Penelope had ever tasted. It tasted like the creamy butterscotch hard candy that her grandmother's house was always full of.

"Penelope, you have ice cream on your nose!" Sofia chuckled as she handed her a napkin.

While Sofia and Penelope were laughing and joking around, the adults were talking about more serious matters. "Have you heard the news? Gianna Gaunt has escaped from prison!" an alarmed William asked Mr. and Mrs. Calderon-Boot.

"Yes, unfortunately we have. That's why we'll have to raise the security levels back home. We don't need any more Gaunts raising havoc with the Boot family," Mrs. Calderon-Boot replied.

"What do you mean by that?" Daniel asked.

"You see, my ancestor was in a large dispute with an Irish witch named Gormlaith Gaunt. In the end, my ancestors won but the Gaunts are still sour about it to this day. We have no doubt in our mind that Gianna will be coming for revenge. Everything's just so scary now that we have little Sofia going to Ilvermorny without us to be there," Mr. Calderon-Boot answered sadly.

"That must be terrifying. I am so sorry, if only we could help," Emma said.

"Well you could do one thing. Could you make sure Penelope looks after Sofia for us?" Mrs. Calderon-Boot asked.

Emma smiled genuinely and answered, "Of course."

 **...**

"Mudkip, hurry up!" a dark but tall figure commanded. From the looks of it, the figure was a women with long curly dark hair and wore a beautiful silky black dress.

"I'm trying, Alpha! But it seems harder than we anticipated it to be! If making one is this hard, making two will be worse!" Mudkip replied. It was hard to see but Mudkip was short and plump.

"Must I do everything myself?!" Alpha walked over to Mudkip and appeared to be assembling a slim stick, "There! Was that very hard?!"

"My apologizes, Alpha. I promise that next ti-"Alpha stopped Mudkip mid sentence.

"Shut up for one second. I sense something." Alpha looked straight ahead and started smirking. She ran as far as she could forward until her face was clearly visible. Alpha had fair skin and was beautiful until she made a deranged face. She then started laughably maliciously and whispered something in a sing-songy voice, "I'm coming for you soon!" All of a sudden everything disappeared and not far away, a young newly 11 year old girl woke up from this terrible nightmare.


	3. The Horrible Terrible Road Trip

**Chapter Three: The Horrible Terrible Road Trip**

Penelope's eyes shot wide open as she awoke suddenly from her sleep. The dream she had felt so real yet as she opened her eyes, everything that happened in it slipped from her memory. Her heart was racing and she could not do anything to stop it. It was like she could feel the blood rushing through her veins all throughout her body. Whatever was happening, she could feel it, all of it. As much as she concentrated and searched, she could not remember what the dream was about. _Could it be about my excitement for Ilvermorny_ , she thought. _No, the dream definitely did not provide happiness._ Finally giving up,Penelope got out of bed, stretched, and headed downstairs.

"P? What are you doing up so early? It's 5. You still have an hours of sleep left," said Emma who was sitting on the sofa. She was wrapped around by a fluffy blanket but the dark circles around her eyes showed that she was extremely tired. Penelope was so absorbed in finding out what happened in her vivid nightmare that she didn't even notice it was still dark out.

"I was just woken up by a nightmare. I'll go back to bed now but why are you up? It's still dark out."

"I can't sleep. I'm just so worried about what the future has in store for you, P. You don't have to go to Ilvermorny. You know that right, Penelope? You can stay here with me and your father. You can be safe," Emma pleaded for Penelope to stay. She could not bear only being able to see Penelope on holidays and summer vacation.

"And why wouldn't I be safe at Ilvermorny? I'm going to be around some of the most powerful witches and wizards in America! I'm pretty sure I'll be safe if an intruder were to sneak into the castle."

"You don't understand, Penelope. You may have amazing wizards protecting you, but there could also be more powerful dangerous wizards pining after you," Emma furrowed her brows and holding onto Penelope's hands, she added in a less firm tone, "Just promise me to stay with Sofia at all times okay? Try to make new friends. Remember, strength in numbers."

Penelope gave out a soft chuckle and kissed the cheek of Emma's worried face. "I promise I'll be safe, Mom. And if danger ever comes, I'll be strong enough to protect myself. I'll make sure of it."

"Good because I don't know what I'd do without you," Emma added quickly, "You know we love you, right? I just want you to know that your father and I will always love you, no matter what. Whether you become a magic school dropout or an evil witch, whether we want to or not, we will always love you."

"Yes I know. Do you know how I know that?" Penelope asked mysteriously.

"How?"

"Because you are the best parents ever," Penelope answered, embracing her mother. It was moments like these that truly proved that family isn't defined by blood but by bond and love. Whoever her biological mother was, Penelope was glad she put her up for adoption because everything that happened from there on out led her to the best place she needed to be.

After watching almost two hours of television, Penelope thought it was time to really get ready. Putting on her blue and cranberry class robes, she brushed through her butterscotch blonde hair and put it in a ponytail. Inside the robes, she was wearing her finest silk gold dress that she just recently grew into. There was an odd story of how she got the dress though; it was her's since she was a baby. When she was found in a basket on the corner of a street in Boston, she was wrapped around by a gorgeous silk gold dress. The weird thing was that it was a size 11 for girls meaning it was not her birth mother's but there was a note attached to her basket which mentioned the dress. It read, _"For when the time comes for something special to happen, wear it."_ It was like her mother knew this day would come and got her a victory dress to celebrate.

"Are you ready to go kiddo?" Daniel asked, barging into her room minutes later. She smiled and nodded. Penelope had never been more ready for anything in her life. Whatever obstacles that would be thrown in her way during her training as a witch, she was prepared to demolish. Any dangers that she would face, she knew she would be more powerful to overcome. After all, she _did_ have to strongest power of all...love.

There was an extra special feel in the air this morning. Everything seemed more peaceful than it had ever been in years. The bees were busily buzzing and the birds were happily chirping. This all just proved to Penelope that things would be alright in fact, it showed that things would be marvelous.

In the car, Penelope tapped on the car door's interior anxiously. She was squirming with so much excitement that she just could not hold it in any longer. "Oh Dad, when can we go already? I just can't seem to wait any longer!"

"Well things sure would be moving a lot faster if you were to help us pack the trunk," Daniel teased as he hauled one of Penelope's suitcases into the trunk of their ruby red Ford Focus SEL Sedan. She would miss this car greatly while she was off at Ilvermorny. Its interior smell of sea breeze from the Frebreze air freshener was always her favorite part of the car along with the fact that it was a beautiful shade of red. Penelope _did_ wonder the mode of transportation they would use on field trips that is, unless they always stayed in the castle. Though she doubted it. William told her back in Nauxneth that even those born in magical families would experience many new things.

 **...**

The car ride to Mount Greylock was quite unpleasant. From a constant headache to feeling the need to vomit, Penelope was suffering from a major case of car sickness. It got so horrible to the point they had to stop at a drugstore to buy Dramamine and of course with their bad luck today, they got lost in the road. _Just think happy thoughts, P. Just concentrate on what's most important here; getting to Ilvermorny._ Penelope tried her hand at self-meditation but that didn't work. If anything, trying not to think about the pain made her think about it even more.

After an uncomfortable almost four hour drive that was just supposed to be three hours, they finally made it to Mount Greylock. As Penelope stepped outside, she gasped, taking in all the beauty of this preservation site. She couldn't wait to start spending her school days here. As they walked into the Visitor's Center for a bathroom break, she overheard two workers talking.

"Yeah it happens every year. On this exact same day too. I don't know what goes on but it's always those people in the blue and red robes. They're probably crazy I tell ya," said a tall, balding janitor carrying a big wet mop. This made Penelope frown. Was her people always looked down upon by regular people because they were different? Because they were wizards? Penelope shook those thoughts out of her mind. She wasn't here to be brought down, she was here to start anew. From now on, she was only allowed to see the positive things.

"Look I see it! We're pretty much here!" Penelope shrieked running towards the castle after their two hour hike to the peak of Mount Greylock. This peak was the highest point in all of Massachusetts. From this high up, she could see houses from miles and miles away. The view was as breathtaking as it was overwhelming.

"Are you sure, sweetie? All we see is mist," Emma said squinting her eyes, perplexed. How could they not see it? It was a tall majestic castle as clear as day. Not to mention all the people entering the building.

"It's an enchantment to keep away No-Majs from finding out where our school is," a familiar voice behind them stated. This time it was not Aubrey but Sofia who answered.

"If it's there then how are No-Majs walking past the mist without bumping into the castle?" Emma asked.

"Because there's a protective bubble," Sofia air-drew out a dome showing where the magical barrier was. "When wizards walk into it, we're transported into almost another realm like the one in Nauxneth."

"Does that mean we can just use a portkey to get to Ilvermorny? If we had known, we could've prevented my horrible car sickness," Penelope said, groaning in regret. She would gladly use any other mode of transportation to get to Ilvermorny if it had meant she didn't get car sickness.

"Sadly, no. The barrier protects it from happening which could be a good thing because then we don't have random wizards coming in and out. Professor Fontaine and Professor Tenebrith monitor people who come into the building." Penelope sighed and loathed the next several years of driving here.

"Hey, happy thoughts only right, P?" Daniel asked, lightening the mood. Penelope nodded. This was _her_ year and nothing would stop her from making this the best experience of her life.

"Remember what I said this morning. We will always love you, got it? Good." Daniel and Emma went in for a hug and kissed Penelope on the cheek. Watching Penelope walk into the mist with Sofia, Daniel and Emma somehow knew that maybe just maybe things would turn out to be alright.

Before enter the castle, Penelope noticed two marble statues on both sides of the entranceway. The statue on the left was a woman with the name Isolt Sayre on a golden plaque. _She must be one of the founders_ , Penelope thought. _Along with the man on the other side named James Steward._

"Isolt Sayre. She's one of my ancestors or well step-ancestors but

The marble statues were incredibly shiny, especially Isolt's. Whoever the janitor at Ilvermorny was, was doing such a good job that Penelope could see her reflection on Isolt's shoe. Reaching to touch her reflection, she was stopped by an arrow that had just missed her face by a hair. Screaming, Penelope wondered who could have shot that arrow. It nearly hit her! Maybe Ilvermorny wasn't as safe as she though it was.

"Penelope I am so sorry! I should have warned you! William doesn't like it when people touch or try to ruin Isolt's statue and he's especially upset today because it's the anniversary of her death," Sofia said nervously. She then ran over to where the pukwudgie was and started demanding answers.

"I did what I always do when people try to ruin Isolt's statue." William shrugged like it was no big deal that his arrow almost hit Penelope.

"But Penelope's different! She didn't know about your hands off the statue rule! Not to mention that you were so close to hitting her with your infamous poison arrows!" Sofia fought back. She seemed fed up with what William had to say and so far, Penelope was too. "Look you don't have to admit it but I, along with pretty much everyone else, knows you're the William in the Ilvermorny origin story. We know you had a special friendship with Isolt but please be considerate of other people."

William muttered something under his breath along the lines of "Well I never wanted to be here anyways" and left without apologizing. Penelope knew Isolt must have been someone important to William so she ignored it and just started walking into the castle with Sofia by her side.

The room they had entered was a circular room topped with a glass capola. Above the new students, the old students filed into the balcony on the second floor watching everything that was going on. In the middle of the stone floor was a golden Gordian Knot which faced a passageway leading deeper into the castle. Similar to doors into the castle, this entryway had two wooden carved statues on one side and two on the other. But these carvings weren't modeled after humans. They were of weird creatures, one of which, she noticed was a pukwudgie. Sofia tugged Penelope's robes and led her to walls where all the other students were standing. Not knowing what was going on, she just kept quiet until someone in power started speaking.

"Good afternoon, students! I am Professor Tenebrith and I am the Charms teacher as well as the Deputy Headmistress here at Ilvermorny. Today we will be performing a tradition that's been here since the beginning of this school's existence called the Sorting Ceremony. Professor Fontaine here will explain everything that will happen during this ceremony for those who don't know," Professor Tenebrith stated, stepping off to the side so the Headmaster could be in the spotlight.

Professor Fontaine was a geriatric man who looked around the age of 90. Penelope thought how he could even still be a working man considering his age but she brushed it off as he also looked wise and intellectual. Instead of the standard tie and blazer uniform professors wore, he was wearing a black robe which contrasted greatly with his white as snow beard and shoulder length hair.

"Hello everyone. As you know, I am Professor Fontaine and I am the Headmaster of Ilvermorny. The Sorting Ceremony is sacred and one of the most exciting events at Ilvermorny. It will not only shape the next seven years of your life here but it will transform you into the person you will be in the future. So how this works is when you hear your name called up, you will come forward to this Gordian Knot and wait until an enchanted carving or _carvings_ reacts. When it does, that will be your house or if multiple carvings react, you will get to choose which house you would like to join," Professor Fontaine paused and then smiling, said,"Now let the Sorting Ceremony start."


End file.
